I tapped my foot impatiently while I waited for Alex to come out of her house. Elliot was next to me, scrolling through his phone. He was wearing completely different clothes, which seemed more like him. He had on a white tee-shirt that had the word "Flannel" printed on it, gray capris, and his sneakers from last night. His red hair wasn't as styled as yesterday, but he had definitely given it more attention.
I was about to say something to him when Alex came running out of the house. She was wearing a black crop top hoodie with a white shirt today. She was even wearing black and white heeled sneakers. You know, the ones that have the entire sole is a heel. I don't know how she can walk in those, let alone run.
"Hey Harper!" She said, slowing to a stop, waving to the two of us. "Nice to see you again, Elliot."
"It's been a while, Alex." He said, putting his phone away. His voice sounded a little strained, but he liked Alex. He must've been talking to someone, and I made a mental note to ask him about it later.
"Come on, these clothes aren't gonna buy themselves!"

I shifted through the shirts and hoodies that we'd picked out in the changing room, trying to find something to try on first. I finally settled on a black shirt and a blue hoodie. I struggled into them, exhaled, and stepped out of the changing room.
The first thing I noticed was that Elliot looked close to tears. Here's the thing: Elliot has always been my older brother. I'm the baby of the family, the daughter (BLEH) my mother always wanted after three sons. Elliot had always been there for me, he'd been the one to comfort me when I was about to cry. I'd never seen him cry in all my life.
Now, he seemed dangerously close to tears. Like, someone could touch him and he would break down crying. Alex was next to him, comforting him, which was something I never thought I would see. She was talking to him in a hushed tone, so I couldn't hear what she was saying.
"What am I missing here?" I asked, crossing my arms. Both look up at me in shock, but not with guilt. Just genuine surprise. Elliot shook his head, wiping his eyes. "Nothing. Geez, Harper. You look freaking amazing in that."
"This is only one hoodie. There's still like, ten more I need to try on."
"If you look this good in this one, you'd look just as good in any of the others!" If he wasn't my brother, I would feel like he's trying to hit on me. Or flirt. He does practicing flirting with me and Alex, but that's all it is. Practice. He holds no feelings towards Alex, and harboring any towards me would just be wrong. On so many levels.
Alex gave me a thumbs up. "Now come on, I wanna see the rest!"


Hey, sorry for the hiatus. I got wrapped up in school, so my chapters will be coming out a lot slower. Thanks for sticking with me through this.
Okay, so this chapter was something I made while waiting for class to start, after a long break, so sorry if it sounds a little crappy. Here's more about Elliot: He was the second person, after Alex, that Harper came out to, and he's totally supportive of him. I love Elliot. He's my favorite of Harper's entire family.
Okay, if any of you get the "Flannel" shirt reference, please post on my wall. Please. I need to see how many fans (who actually know about the shirt thing) read my books. Cause. I want to. Thank you for reading this! *Chibi Harper bowing*